# Examples of responsible gun use by citizens in modern movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113 "2009-06-17T21:36:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/41 "2009-06-22T15:46:38Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > How about Thelma and Louise? That was a perfectly good case of self defense, or at least it would have been if they hadn’t panicked and ran. Didn’t Louise shoot the would-be rapist after he let Thelma go? For calling her a bitch or something? That’s not self defense anymore - once the guy stopped being a threat, shooting him became murder. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/42 "2009-06-22T17:00:37Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Didn’t Louise shoot the would-be rapist after he let Thelma go? For calling her a bitch or something? That’s not self defense anymore - once the guy stopped being a threat, shooting him became murder. Yeah, but that’s normal feminist behavior. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/43 "2009-06-22T17:04:46Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Yeah, but that’s normal feminist behavior. 😛 I think you’re kidding, but I’d say it’s more like normal HUMAN behavior. I’d have wanted to shoot the guy too. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/44 "2009-06-22T17:12:29Z")
Civilian Stringfellow Hawke had an entire gun **ship** in _Airwolf_ and nothing ever went wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/45 "2009-06-22T17:23:46Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Civilian Stringfellow Hawke had an entire gun **ship** in _Airwolf_ and nothing ever went wrong. I vaguely remember the series – did he ever actually kill anybody, or was it more like an _A-Team_ kind of thing with massive gunfire but no one actually dying? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/46 "2009-06-22T17:37:21Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I vaguely remember the series – did he ever actually kill anybody, or was it more like an _A-Team_ kind of thing with massive gunfire but no one actually dying? He killed people, but you never saw them die - they’re always in exploding cars or buildings or other aircraft or the like. The TV serial version of _Blue Thunder_ was more like the A-Team - the helicopter had a minigun on a chin turret, but it was invariably used only to make bad guys dance while puffs of dust flew up. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/47 "2009-06-22T17:44:41Z")
Since we’re going to mention 80s tv shows, I’ll bring up Spenser: For Hire. As improbably frequent as Spenser’s gunfights were, he never seemed to be irresponsible in doing so; nor did Hawk, who may not even have had a gun license. No, I take that back. Hawk must have had a license, simply because I can’t imagine series Quirk & Belson passing up the obvious opportunity to arrest him. I also recall an episode in which Hawk is temporarily blinded and he, Spenser, and Susan are on the run from the week’s bad guys. Spenser gets separated from the other two dealing with one set of bad guys, and Susan, not inclined to gunplay herself, nevertheless manages to use a gun successfully herself, having learned at the insistence of the two men in her life. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/48 "2009-06-22T18:05:01Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Didn’t Louise shoot the would-be rapist after he let Thelma go? For calling her a bitch or something? That’s not self defense anymore - once the guy stopped being a threat, shooting him became murder. Oh yeah - I remembered it wrong, I thought he was advancing toward her and thus was still a threat. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/49 "2009-06-22T23:09:55Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Oh yeah - I remembered it wrong, I thought he was advancing toward her and thus was still a threat. For those who don’t know the scene, Thelma is nearly (?) raped in the parking lot by the guy she was dancing with, and is rescued by Louise, who then gives the rapist a piece of her mind, at gunpoint. He responds by telling the enraged woman who is pointing a gun at him, “suck my dick.” Yeah, she shot him. Upon questioning by police, no one who knows him is surprised, or even upset. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/50 "2009-06-22T23:31:54Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Wouldn’t a lot of the counter-examples be invisible? > > The entire cast of characters of _Friends_ (just to pull something out of the air) could be carrying concealed, but if none of the stories ever have them clear their weapon then how would you know? No they couldn’t. It’s New York city, the only real way to get a permit there is to be juiced in. :dubious: > [@Raguleader](#): > > True, but as far as mishaps go, that one was (relatively) minor. I don’t recall if that was because of a finger on the trigger or just the gun hitting the ground when he fell (slipped on something on the floor), but no horrible random person shot dead mishaps. Negligent discharges are **never** minor mishaps. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113/51 "2009-06-23T00:38:50Z")
This thread is being most illuminating. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-responsible-gun-use-by-citizens-in-modern-movies/500113.md?page=2)